The present invention relates to a surface mountable connector having three or more rows of contacts. The present invention also relates to a physical gauge for check whether all terminals of the contacts in the connector are flat or on the same level or not.
A connector is known which is directly mounted for example on a printed circuit board. Such a connector is called a surface mountable connector or a surface mounted connector.
There is a surface mountable connector which has three or more rows of contacts. All terminal ends of the contacts or contact terminals in the connector, which are fixedly connected to circuit patterns on the printed circuit board by soldering, should be flat or on the same level to ensure reliable connection with the printed circuit board.
However, for a connector having three or more rows of contacts, there was no physical gauge which could check whether all terminal ends of the contacts were on the same level. Also a connector was not designed in consideration of the check with a physical gauge. Conventionally, an optical instrument was therefore used in the check of the arrangement of the contacts. Such an optical instrument is expensive and the check with the optical instrument takes a lot of time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surface mountable connector which is designed in consideration of the check with a physical gauge and to provide a gauge which can be used in the check whether all terminal ends of contacts in a connector are on the same level.
According to this invention, there is provided a connector (1), which comprises:
an insulator (2) in a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having a lower surface (2F) on a lower side in a first direction and two side surfaces (2E) in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the insulator (2) having two cut-off like shaped edges (2B) on the lower side in the first direction and on both sides in the second direction, and further having at least one groove (2C) on the lower surface (2F), the cutoff like shaped edges (2B) and the at least one groove (2C) straightly extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second direction; and
three or more rows of contacts (3) fixedly mounted on the insulator, each of the contacts (3) having a contact portion (3D), a connection portion (3A), which continues from the contact portion (3D), a curved portion (3B), which continues from the connection portion (3A) and projects towards a side of the contact portion (3D), and a flat terminal end portion (3C), which continues from the curved portion (3B), wherein the flat terminal end portions (3C) of the contacts (3) are on the same level, and wherein the curved portions (3B) and the flat terminal end portions (3C) of the contacts (3), which belong to two rows nearest the side surfaces (2E), are positioned within the cut-off like shaped edges (2B), while the other curved portions (3B) and the other flat terminal end portions (3C) are positioned within the at least one groove.
In the connector (1), the flat terminal end portions (3C) of the contacts (3), which belong to the two rows nearest the side surfaces (2E), may lie inside the side surfaces (2E) in the second direction.
In the connector (1), each of the cut-off like shaped edges (2B) may have at least one beveled edge (2B1), which extends from a corresponding one of the side surfaces (2E) toward corresponding ones of the curved portions (3B), and the at least one groove (2C) has a bottom (2C4) and at least one beveled portion (2C3), which extends from the bottom (2C4) toward corresponding ones of the curved portions (3B).
In the connector (1), the beveled edges (2B1) of the cut-off like shaped edges (2B) and the beveled portion (2C3) may define imaginary triangle spaces together with the respective curved portions (3B) and the respective flat terminal end portions (3C).
In an embodiment of the connector (1), each of the cut-off like shaped edges (2B) further has a first surface (2B2), which continues from the beveled edge (2B1) and is parallel to the lower surface (2F), and a second surface (2B3), which connects between the first surface (2B2) and the lower surface (2F). The first and second surfaces (2B2, 2B3) define a space to accommodate corresponding ones of the curved portions (3B). The at least one groove (2C) further has a first portion (2C2), which continues from the beveled portion (2C3) and is parallel to the lower surface (2F), and a second portion (2C1), which connects between the first portion (2C2) and the lower surface (2F). The first and second portions (2C2, 2C1) define a space to accommodate corresponding ones of the curved portions (3B).
According to the present invention, there is further provided a gauge (6) for checking whether the flat terminal end portions (3C) in the connector (1) of this invention are on the same level. The gauge comprises:
an upper surface (6A) on an upper side in the first direction, on which the connector is mounted during the check;
opposite side surfaces 6E in the second direction;
opposite-side projections (6B, 6C) provided on the upper surface (6A) at opposite sides in the second direction and projecting from the upper surface (6A) in the first direction, the opposite projections (6B, 6C) having hook-shaped cross sections which have lateral protrusions (6B1, 6C1) which go toward the inside of the opposite side surfaces (6E), respectively; and
at least one intermediate projection (6D) provided on the upper surface (6A) at an intermediate position between the opposite-side projections (6B, 6C) and projecting from an upper surface (6A) in the first direction, the at least one intermediate projection (6D) corresponding to the at least one groove (2C) and having at least one hook-shaped cross-sectional portion which has a lateral protrusion (6D1, 6D3) which faces the respective contacts (3) when the check is carried out;
wherein:
the opposite-side projections (6B, 6C) and the at least one intermediate projection (6D) extend straightly in the third direction;
gaps (6B2, 6C2), which are defined by the upper surface (6A) and the side projections (6B1, 6C1) of the opposite-side projections (6B, 6C), are for accommodating the flat terminal end portions (3C) nearest the side surfaces (2E) of the connector (1) when the check is carried out;
another gap (6D2, 6D4), which is defined by the upper surface (6A) and the lateral projection (6D1, 6D3) of the at least one intermediate projection (6D), is for accommodating corresponding ones of the flat terminal end portions (3C) when the check is carried out; and
the at least one intermediate projection (6D) is to be accommodated in the at least one groove (2C) of the connector (1) when the check is carried out.